International

Behind the Scenes - London 2012

I could picture it all so clearly. The spotlight on the centre of the field, trumpets blowing aloud, and 80,000 people cheering in a massive stadium. Her Royal Highness, the Queen, welcoming spectators to the magic of London 2012. Excitement engulfed me even as I thought of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics that will take place on July 27.

Yes, the 2012 Olympics are just around the corner and I must admit, it is exciting to be a resident of the host city, London. The British capital is abuzz with Olympic fever and East London’s much-talked-about Olympic Park is the cynosure of all eyes.

So I decided to see, first-hand, all the action leading up to the big O. I wanted to know how the not-so-glamorous former industrial area of London was now in the limelight, being touted as the hottest tourist destination this summer. So I signed up for an Olympic Tour Walk (arguably the hottest tourist attraction in London at present) with the Blue Badge Tourist Guides – a two-hour walk that would take me back into London’s past and well into its future – walking the perimeter of the Olympic Park.

We began our walk from the famous 3 Mills Studio – London’s largest film and music recording studio – which has recorded artists like Madonna and the late Amy Winehouse. What does a studio have to do with sport? Well, rehearsals for the much-anticipated opening ceremony – put together by Slumdog Millionaire’s Danny Boyle on the theme of Shakespeare’s Tempest – were on even as we walked past. The air was filled with enthusiasm, and we hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the Olympic stadium yet!

But when we did, it was nothing short of futuristic. An accurate symbol of the transformation of East London, this massive, spaceship-like stadium will accommodate 80,000 people. While the sporting events are scattered across London, right from Wembley in the Northwest to Greenwich in the South, most of the action and limelight will be in the Olympic Park in Stratford. So it came as no surprise to learn that over 20,000 people have been working on the site since 2008.

Besides the stadium, the Olympic Park also has the Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre which will host the swimming, synchronised swimming and diving events. This particular construction has attracted a lot of attention because of its unique wing-shaped roof, resembling a wave or perhaps a sting ray. The nearby Velo Park, which includes the 6,000-seater Velodrome for indoor track cycling events as well as the BMX Circuit, has been nicknamed the ‘Pringle’ by locals owing to its shape resembling the crisp. The cycling track, made from strong Siberian pine, is the same contour as the roof.

But an event as universal and significant as the Olympics can’t just be about sport. The 2.4 square kilometre area which houses the Olympic Park is also home to the still-under-construction spiralling architectural wonder, The Orbit.

Touted as Britain’s largest piece of public art – designed by Indian-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor and funded by Britain’s wealthiest man, steel tycoon Laxmi Mittal – the 376 feet high ArcelorMittal Orbit will serve as a cultural pivot in this mega event. The twisted loops in the design symbolise the five Olympic rings. Not in the original master plan, it was conceived as an added tourist attraction to the site, and will become a Viewing Tower as well as a prominent landmark of East London.

As we continued to walk through the Lower Lea Valley, I noticed neat blocks of buildings. This had to be the Olympic Village that will house the 10,500 athletes and 6,000 officials from 204 countries during the event, which will later be converted into a residential area for Londoners – a crucial aspect of Stratford’s renaissance.

A 24-hour International Broadcast Centre, also in the Park, will allow 20,000 journalists to bring the games to an estimated four billion spectators worldwide. And last but not the least, there will also be four McDonalds scattered across the village, the fast food chain being a global sponsor of the games.

As we ended the walk at the Viewing Point across the Park, soaking in all the activity that surrounded us, our guide enlightened us with some Olympic trivia: For the first time in the history of the Olympics, women will be participating in boxing. And also for the first time, the Olympics will simultaneously take part in two sides of the world, taking into account that some events will take place on the other side of the Greenwich Meridian! The cross-country jumping section of the three-day event crosses each side of the Meridian.

The clock is ticking, the excitement building. The Olympic Torch arrives in May, and London is gearing up to welcome the world to its doorstep.